'The Walking Dead' made an unexpected choice concerning Daryl's romantic life after a decade

• Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for season 10, episode 18 of "The Walking Dead."
• Daryl just received a romantic interest after the show avoided pairing him with anyone for a decade.
• It seems odd to introduce a love interest this late into the series with one more season to go.

Sunday's new episode of "The Walking Dead" may upset some of the show's fandom.

For years, fans have rooted for fan-favorite Daryl (Norman Reedus) to potentially pair off with Carol (Melissa McBride) or newer character Connie (Lauren Ridloff).

Others have read Daryl's character as asexual, with fans even sending Reedus mail thanking him for playing the role as such. (The show has never officially confirmed Daryl's sexuality.)

Sunday's episode, "Find Me," introduces a new character, Leah (Lynn Collins), who, after 17 months, starts a relationship of sorts with Daryl before mysteriously disappearing. Though the two are never shown being physical on screen, there's one scene late in the episode that hints that the two share an intimate moment.

In case there's any confusion, showrunner Angela Kang confirmed to Insider that "there is some kind of a romantic relationship that existed" between Daryl and Leah.

It seems like a strange turn for Daryl's character after 10 seasons of being on his own and meaning so much to so many segments of "TWD" fandom.

Insider spoke with Kang on why the show added Leah into the mix and some fans on what they make of Daryl's unexpected romance.

Why this is so unexpected and feels a bit unnecessary this late into the show

If Daryl was ever going to be paired off with someone on "TWD," Carol or Connie would have seemed an obvious choice. The addition of a new character initially feels like a knife to the gut.

Any time when you attended a Con, you would come across fans wearing shirts that said, "If Daryl dies, we riot." The fanbase is extremely protective of this character.

When you look up why fans love Daryl, most lists have the same things in common.

He's a survivor, he's a little socially awkward, he's fiercely loyal, he has a sensitive side (Remember when Daryl held Judith for the first time and nicknamed her lil' asskicker?), and despite the abuse and loss he has suffered, he has continued to move forward, whether that be on his own or with the community at large.

On a 2014 episode of "Talking Dead," Robert Kirkman said he thought one of the greatest parts of Daryl's appeal was the character's introvertedness. At the time, Kirkman said he believed Daryl was "somewhat asexual" on the show.

When asked if he's ever read Daryl as asexual, Reedus told Insider in November 2019, "Yeah, I have, quite a bit. I've gotten a lot of fan mail thanking me for being asexual." (Reedus clarified that he was not saying Daryl is asexual.)

And that's why it's a bit of a surprise to even see Daryl paired off with anyone at this point. Daryl has come to mean so many things to so many people in the fandom, regardless of the series' intentions.

The show could have simply paired Daryl off with Carol or Connie, or anyone else, seasons earlier.

Kang previously told Insider that Connie wouldn't on the bonus season 10 episodes of "TWD" because of a conflict in Ridloff's schedule. (That doesn't mean that Connie's earlier return to the series may have signaled a romantic pairing between the two. But it's fair to wonder what her involvement would have been in these episodes.) Instead, Kang said they have a big episode planned for Connie on the show's final 11th season.

The show also could have ended without giving Daryl any romantic pairing. And, honestly? It would have been extremely refreshing to go against the grain and say that you don't need a romantic entanglement in order to be happy. Other forms of love exist and Daryl has found those in a family he chose and life-long friendships.

It almost stings a bit to see that "TWD" felt the need to push Daryl into any relationship at all.

To give Daryl a love interest this late into the game, with one season left to go, makes you wonder why the show is doing it all.

In many ways, it's tough to not watch Sunday's episode and believe it simply feels like a backdoor pilot entry for the untitled "Carol and Daryl" series, which is set to premiere after "TWD" ends its run. Kang will oversee the spin-off when it debuts in 2023.

Fans have had mixed feelings on Leah's entry onto the show

Weeks before Sunday's episode aired, details about Leah leaked online. If you were following segments of #TWDFamily on social media in February, there was initially a lot of backlash over the idea of Leah's introduction before seeing it on screen.

When the episode was released Thursday on AMC+, Insider asked fans who have been following us their thoughts on the latest reveal. While some fans are confused as to why "TWD" is introducing a love interest for Daryl so late on the show, others seem, at the least, somewhat more receptive of the pairing the longer they sit with the episode.

"The relationship between Daryl and Leah fell flat for me," @TWDJenn told Insider over Twitter, saying that she didn't really have any problems with Leah. She just didn't find that the show did her justice in her introduction.

"[Daryl] has shown more emotion in his platonic relationships with his family than he showed with Leah," she continued, wishing the audience was in his head a little more on Sunday's episode. "He returned to find her gone and didn't even shed a tear or look distraught at all. The whole thing was just...weird and left more questions than answers about Daryl as a character... The only thing done well was the argument between Daryl and Carol."

Jessica from Virginia said she "unexpectedly liked Leah," even though she found the "implied sex scene" between Daryl and Leah to be "cringey."

One more fan, who asked to be identified as Mrs. G, said she believes the Daryl and Leah relationship worked for what she believes it was aimed to do, "show Daryl is capable of receiving and giving romantic love. This could possibly be a contrast to his budding romance with Connie. Daryl deserves some happiness."

Others are not as receptive since there was no previous mention of Leah during the past two seasons, making her introduction feel like more of an afterthought.

Kang promises she's not trolling fans by introducing Leah to the story right now

When Insider spoke with Kang the other week, asking why "TWD" may be pairing Daryl off with a completely new character after a decade instead of Carol or Connie, Kang said she'd "never try to troll the fans."

"I know that, when it comes to Daryl, people have very strong feelings," Kang said.

"I harken back to when there were Bethyl [Beth and Daryl 'shippers] versus Caryl [Carol and Daryl] fans that were really angry. There were people who were angry about the chemistry that existed with Connie," Kang said thinking of the many 'ships that fans have created over the years for Daryl. "There's people who are Darsita [Daryl and Rosita] fans. When it comes to some of these beloved characters, there's always going to be strong emotions."

Kang said that at this same time while Daryl was living solo, Carol was already paired off with Ezekiel.

Leah's entry also came out of Daryl's grief for Rick and the value of human contact when you're in isolation, something which many can probably relate to right now during the pandemic.

On a bonus feature after the episode on AMC+, Kang described Leah as someone who has a lot in common with Daryl. The two both have trust issues and read others extremely well. It took 14 months before Leah even revealed her name to Daryl and nearly two years before they even initiated any sort of relationship after meeting.

By the number of time jumps on Sunday's episode, it's clear the show wants viewers to understand that this relationship with Leah did not develop over night or over the course of weeks.

Norman Reedus previously told us that if Daryl was going to be involved with someone that it wouldn't be a one-night stand. If "TWD" was going to do any sort of pairing, it had to be done right, because you only have one shot at it.

That matches with what Kang told Entertainment Weekly in late 2019 about the character and why he was never in a relationship, saying that Daryl "doesn't attach to people lightly."

"I hope that people will give the story a chance," Kang told Insider, ultimately of introducing Leah.

"I hope that there will be things that come out of it that are interesting and that deepen that friendship that exists between Daryl and Carol," Kang said. "We're telling a story, but it's connected to the past and the present as well as the future in a lot of ways."

What do you think of Leah's introduction to "The Walking Dead"?

Let me know on Twitter @KirstenAcuna or come join our Clubhouse conversation this Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET here where we'll be chatting this episode and more with Comicbook.com's Brandon Davis and Skybound's Johnny O'Dell.

As always, you can follow along with our "TWD" coverage here.